Suspender slide



Dec. 15, 1936. 'L, E GILES 2,064,423

- SUSPEND-ER SLIDE Filed Dec. 11, 1955 Fig.5

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Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE SUSPENDER SLIDEApplication December 11, 1935, Serial No. 53,849

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fasteners or slide bucklessuch as are commonly used on garments of the overall type and othersimilar articles of apparel.

In general, such a buckle may comprise three parallel bars disposed oneabove another to form slots through which the shoulder strap, forexample, of an overall garment may be threaded over and under the partsin such manner as frictionally to engage the buckle to the strap and alowermost bar, or end member, having a loop portion formed therein whichis adapted to engage a button on the bib portion of the overall. Abuckle of this general type is not new, but has been used for manyyears. In such prior buckles the lowermost bar has been disposed belowthe immediately adjacent crossbar by a distance corresponding roughly tothe face diameter of the button which was to be engaged therewith. Suchconstruction permitted a most ready engagement of a buckle with abutton; and as long as a proper tension was maintained upon the strapportion the button was held in the lower part of the loop and a firmattachment was maintained. However, when the tension on the strapdecreased, as for example, when the wearer of the overall bent over,then the button rode up in the loop and immediately became disengagedtherefrom.

The present invention is applied to a buckle having an enlargedentranceway to its buttonengaging loop and of which the end member andits loop are so close to the immediately adjacent crossbar that a buttonmay be inserted in or withdrawn from the button-engaging loop of thebuckle only by tilting the button to such a position that it may passedgewise between the end member and the adjacent crossbar.

It is an object of the invention to so dispose the button-attaching loopwith respect to the immediately adjacent crossbar that it will tend tocause the button, when the latter. rides upward in the attaching loop,to be thrust forward of the adjacent crossbar whereby to prevent thebutton from tipping backwards and becoming accidentally disengaged.

The feature of enlarging the entrance to the button-attaching loop inorder to narrow the width of the slot between the loop-supporting barand the immediately overlying bar is not, per se, a part of theinvention to be claimed herein, but is disclosed and claimed in anapplication of Paul E. Fenton, Serial No. 53,852, filed December 11,1935.

Other objects .and various features of the invention will be moreapparent from the following description which is to be read inconnection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a frontface view of one form of buckle incorporating the principles of the in-5 vention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front face view of a modified form of buckle'embodying theinvention;

Fig. 5 is a topview of the buckle of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the same;

Fig. 7 is a front face view of a second modified form of buckleembodying the invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a front face view of a third modified form of buckle embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the buckle of Fig. 9 taken on the lineIll-J0 thereof;

Fig. 11 illustrates a buckle and a part of its supporting strapassembled with a button attached to a part of a garment to be supported,the button being represented as having been 25 thrust upward in thebutton-attaching loop of the buckle;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the parts illustrated by Fig. 11, thebutton being represented as having been tilted back so as to detach itfrom the button loop of the buckle.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view of a buckle showing a modified form ofthroat opening.

Considering the drawing, and referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, thebuckle of the present invention may comprise a pair of spaced sidemembers 85 which are interconnected by a plurality of integrally formedcross connecting bars l6, l1, land I 9, disposed one above another. Thefirst three bars, namely l6, ll and I8, are substantially straight andparallel so as to form a plurality of slots, whereas the lowermost bar,or end member, l9 carries a button-attaching means which as here showncomprises an attaching loop 20 having its throat portion 2| directedupwardly. Preferably the buckle frame is struck from a single piece ofsheet metal, and the edge portions thereof are turned over so that eachof the foregoing members is of generally U-shaped cross section and sothat its front face presents a generally smooth appearance.

Such a buckle may be engaged with a strap portion 22 (Figs. lland 12) ofan overall garment, for example, by passing an end 23 thereof in frontof the crossbar I 6, behind the crossbar ll,-in front of the crossbarl8, then reversely behind the crossbars l8 and I1, and finally again infront of the bar 16, in such fashion that the strap portion is loopedover the crossbar l8 with both parts thereof directed upwardly and withboth parts frictionally engaged with the crossbars at one or morepoints. Such attachment, of course, permits the buckle to be slippedalong the strap to any desired point whereby the effective length of thestrap may be adjusted to meet the individual requirements of anyparticular user. When the attaching loop- 20 is engaged with a button25, the latter being carried, for example, on the bib portion 26 of theoverall garment, the two will be securely engaged, and so long as atension is maintained upon the strap, the shank portion 21 will tend tolie in the lowermost part of the loop with its rear face supported bythe front face of the loop and its shank supported by the lower edgethereof. However, if the tension is lessened, as for example, when thewearer of the garment bends over, then the button will tend to moveupward in the loop, and it is at this time that accidental detachment ismost likely to occur.

In order to prevent such accidental detachment the lowermost bar I9 ispreferably disposed so close to the immediately adjacent overlyingcrossbar I8 that the distance therebetween, as may best be seen in Fig.11, is somewhat less than the face diameter of the button 25, and infact, corresponds more closely to the diameter of the shank portion 21'.In other words, the effective free area between the lowermost bar andthe adjacent cross bar is somewhat less than the face area of the button25. Now, assuming that the tension on the strap is lessened, and thebutton has moved upwardly in the attaching loop, then, as can be seen inFig. 11, the upper part of the button will tend to move to a positionforward of the crossbar l8, and its lower part will still be held by theattaching loop. Therefore, so long as the button remains generallyparallel to the face of the attaching loop, it cannot escape from thelatter.

However, in order to insure the upper edge of the button passing infront of the crossbar I8 when the former rides upwardly in thebutton-attaching loop, the loop portion 20 is so disposed, with respectto the adjacent crossbar l8, that it is either displaced forwardlythereof, or it (the loop 20) is tilted in such fashion that acontinuation upwardly of the plane of the front face of the loop willpass in front thereof.

This latter feature may be accomplished in several ways. As is shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, the loop portion is displaced forwardly of theimmediately adjacent crossbar l8; and this is accomplished by offsettingthe loop 20 as at 28 from the remaining parts of the lowermost bar IS.The buckle of Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is identical with the buckle of Figs. 1,2 and 3 except in so far as the manner of displacing the loop portion isconcerned. In these latter figures the entire lowermost bar l9a isoffset as at 28a. Similarly, the buckle of Figs. '7 and 8 issubstantially identical with the buckles heretofore considered, but

in this case the displacement of the loop portion 20b is achieved bysetting back the bar l8b as at 28b.

As can be seen in Figs. 3, '6 and 8 heretofore considered, the loopportion of each of these figures is bounded by two substantiallyparallel olanes, and these planes are set forward of, and

are substantially parallel to the planes which bound the adjacentcrossbar. However, it is not essential that the planes of the loop andthe planes of the overlying part of the adjacent crossbar be parallel.Thus, in Figs. 9 and 10, the same result is achieved by tipping, orinclining, the loop portion 200 so that the planes bounding the loopintersect the planes bounding the overlying portion of the adjacentcrossbar substantially along the lower bar 190; and the lower edge ofthe loop is displaced backwardly from the bar I80. In other words, ascan be seen most particularly in Fig. 10, all parts of the front face ofthe loop Zilc lie in a single plane which if extended upwardly wouldpass in front of the bar l8c. Consequently, if a button disposed withinthe loop rode upwardly therein its upper edge would tend to pass infront of the bar I80 and the strap which passes therearound. Hence, withany one of the foregoing constructions it may be said that thebutton-attaching loop portion is so disposed with respect to theimmediately adjacent cross bar that the former tends to cause a buttonwhen moved upwardly in the loop to pass in front of the adjacentcrossbar and clear of the forward surface of the looped portion of thestrap. For the purposes of description the relative disposition of theplanes defining the button attaching loop and the overlying cross barmay be referred to as a forward displacement of the former with respectto the latter, and in view of the foregoing it may be that thedisplacement may be angular or otherwise. In other words, the planesdefining the button attaching loop, when extended upwardly, will bedisposed forwardly of the planes defining the cross bar; and this willbe true whether the planes are parallelly disposed as shown in Figs. 3,6 and 8, or whether they are angularly disposed as shown in Figs. 9 and10.

While the foregoing construction adequately serves the purpose ofpreventing accidental detachment, yet the close disposition of the lowerbar l9 and the adjacent crossbar 18 may very seriously interfere withthe operation of attaching it to a button. Now, to assure that such anoperation may be most easily and readily performed when such is theintention of the user, the entranceway to the throat 2| is preferablywidened so that a button may be passed edgewise therethrough. This maybe done as is shown in Figs. 1, 4, '7 and 9 by flaring the entrancewayupwardly and outwardly as indicated at 29, 29a, 29b, and 290; or ifdesired the entranceway may be notched at 30, as is shown in Fig. 13.Either of these expedients, as can be seen, widens the entranceway sothat it corresponds substantially to the diameter of the face portion ofthe button 25. When it is desired to engage a button with the buckle,then the former will be tilted, with its upper edge tipped backwardly,to such an angle that it may pass edgewise through the widened throat,as is shown in the full line position of Fig. 12, and then be turnedparallel to the face of the loop, as is shown in the dotted lineposition of Fig. 12.

With such construction it has been found that the close positioning ofthe lowermost bar and the adjacent crossbar, and the relativedisplacement therebetween substantially prevents any possibility of thebutton becoming accidentally disengaged; and that the widened throatportion permits intentional engagement, or disengagement, of

the button with substantially the same ease as was heretofore possiblewith buckles of the prior art.

Since certain changes may be made in the foregoing construction whichare within the skill of the ordinary mechanic, it is intended that theforegoing shall be construed in a descriptive rather than in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:--

1. A buckle comprising spaced side bars and a plurality of parallelcross connecting bars including a lowermost bar having abutton-attaching loop therein with its throat directed upwardly andenlarged at the entrance, and a closely overlying cross bar about whicha supporting strap may be looped with the parts thereof directedupwardly, the spacing of the button-attaching loop-carrying bar and theoverlying cross bar being such that a button adapted for engagement withthe attaching loop can be inserted, or withdrawn, only by passing itthrough the space between the bar and the enlarged throat of the loopwhen in a tilted position with the upper part of the button tipped back,the opposite face portions of the button loop throughout being boundedby substantially parallel planes which are displaced forwardly of theplanes bounding the opposite face portions of the overlying cross bar soas to tend to cause a button when moved upwardly in the attaching loopto have its upper part thrust to a position clear of the forward surfaceof the part of a strap which may be looped about the overlying bar andthus prevent accidental detachment.

2. A buckle, as defined by claim 1, of which the planes which bound thesurfaces of the button-attaching loop are parallel with and disposedforwardly with respect to the planes which bound the opposite faceportions of the parts of the buckle overlying the loop.

3. A buckle, as defined by claim 1, of which the planes which bound thesurfaces of the button-attaching loop are slightly inclined with respectto the planes which bound the opposite face portions of the cross baroverlying the loop, the respective inclined planes being so disposed asto intersect along the upper part of the button loop and its supportingbar and the inclination of the planes of the loop being downwardly andrearwardly from the lines of intersection.

4. A buckle, as defined by claim 1, having the opposite face portions ofall of its parts other than the bar immediately overlying the buttonloop bounded by the same pair of substantially parallel planes andhaving the respective face portions of the bar overlying the loop setback as compared with the respective planes of said pair.

LOUIS E. GILES.

